It isn't an English word, it is French, and the only place in the world where it didn't mean "city dweller" was Switzerland.
The Word "Citizen" itself clearly demonstrates that Jefferson copied it's usage from Vattel. In 1776, the normal word to describe someone as a member of a nation state was "Subject."
At the time, no one used the word "Citizen" to mean member of a Nation State except for Switzerland, a Republic since 1370.
The Word "Citizen" itself clearly demonstrates that Jefferson copied it's usage from Vattel. In 1776, the normal word to describe someone as a member of a nation state was "Subject."
At the time, no one used the word "Citizen" to mean member of a Nation State except for Switzerland, a Republic since 1370.
No. You can also find the word "citoyen" (citizen) used by French Enlightenment thinkers to mean "a member of a free society with many families, who shares in the rights of this society, and who benefits from these freedoms." It did not necessarily refer to a resident of a city. And this was before Vattel published his book.